Slayer helmet

“You don't want to wear it inside-out.”

The Slayer helmet is a head slot helmet that bundles a stack of single-use Slayer items into one piece — and, most importantly, carries the black mask's on-task combat bonus. While you're fighting a monster on your assigned Slayer task, the base helmet boosts your melee accuracy and damage by 16.67% (one sixth), exactly like the black mask used to make it. It needs only 10 Defence to wear, but it's untradeable — you build it yourself once you've unlocked the recipe. Its imbued upgrade, the slayer helmet (i), extends the bonus to Ranged and Magic too.

Equipment bonuses

The Slayer helmet's worn defensive bonuses are modest — its real value is the on-task combat passive below, not the stat table. That boost is conditional (it only applies while you're on the right task), so it shows up as a percentage in the fight rather than a flat number on the helmet.

Attack bonuses
0
0
0
−6
−2
Defence bonuses
+30
+32
+27
−1
+30
Other bonuses
+0
+0
+0%
+0
Slot
Head

Head slot · members · untradeable · requires 10 Defence to wear. There is no Slayer-level requirement to wear it — but making one needs 55 Crafting and the Malevolent masquerade unlock (see below).

The on-task bonus & the imbued version

What the Slayer helmet does on task
+16.67%melee acc & damage
While you're fighting a monster that's on your assigned Slayer task, the base Slayer helmet boosts your melee accuracy and damage by 16.67% (one sixth). This is the black mask effect, carried over from the mask used to build the helmet. Off task it gives no combat bonus, so it's an always-on helmet while you're slaying and a swap-out otherwise.

The base helmet's bonus is melee only. The imbued version — the slayer helmet (i), made with a black mask (i) instead of a plain one — keeps the melee bonus and adds a 15% boost to Ranged and Magic damage and accuracy on task. Here's exactly what each version gives:

Slayer helmet bonus by version (on assigned task only)
VersionMelee acc / dmgRanged acc / dmgMagic acc / dmg
Slayer helmet16.67%——
Slayer helmet (i)16.67%15%15%
"(i)" = imbued (made from a black mask (i); also boosts Ranged & Magic). Every bonus applies only against monsters on your assigned Slayer task. Source: OSRS Wiki.
It does not stack with the Salve amulet — on an undead monster that's also your task, the game uses whichever bonus is higher, not both. The helmet also carries its components' protections: it deafens banshees, lets you breathe in the Smoke Dungeon and stops dust and smoke devils draining your stats, blocks the stench of aberrant spectres, protects from wall beasts, and prevents infection from Nex's virus attack.

How to get the Slayer helmet

The Slayer helmet is made by the player — there's no drop and it's untradeable, so you can't buy one. You combine a black mask with a handful of single-use Slayer items, and you need to have unlocked the recipe first.

Making the Slayer helmet
Buy the Malevolent masquerade unlock from a Slayer master for 400 Slayer reward points — this is what lets you build the helmet at all.
With 55 Crafting (boosts work), gather the parts: a black mask, a facemask, earmuffs, a nose peg, a spiny helmet and an enchanted gem.
If you've completed A Porcine of Interest, you'll also need a pair of reinforced goggles in the mix — they become part of the recipe and let the helmet protect you from Sourhogs.
With all the parts in your inventory, use any one on another to combine them into the finished Slayer helmet.
For the imbued version, use a black mask (i) in place of the plain black mask — the result is the slayer helmet (i), which also boosts Ranged and Magic on task.
Untradeable: because you make it yourself it has no Grand Exchange price — unlocking Malevolent masquerade and assembling the parts is the only way to get one.

Slayer helmet FAQ

What does the Slayer helmet do?
It rolls several single-use Slayer items into one helmet and carries the black mask's on-task bonus: while you're fighting a monster on your assigned Slayer task, the base helmet boosts your melee accuracy and damage by 16.67% (one sixth). Off-task it gives no combat bonus.
What level do you need for the Slayer helmet?
Only 10 Defence to wear it — and no Slayer level at all. The higher requirements are for making one: 55 Crafting (boostable) plus the Malevolent masquerade unlock, bought from a Slayer master for 400 Slayer reward points.
How do you make a Slayer helmet?
Once you've unlocked Malevolent masquerade (400 Slayer reward points) and have 55 Crafting, combine a black mask with a facemask, earmuffs, nose peg, spiny helmet and an enchanted gem — use any one on another while all the parts are in your inventory. If you've completed A Porcine of Interest, the recipe also takes a pair of reinforced goggles.
Does the Slayer helmet boost Ranged and Magic?
The base helmet only boosts melee on task. To get the bonus on Ranged and Magic you need the imbued version — the slayer helmet (i), made with a black mask (i) — which adds a 15% boost to Ranged and Magic damage and accuracy on top of the melee bonus.
How do you imbue the Slayer helmet?
You don't imbue the finished helmet — you make it from an imbued black mask. Use a black mask (i) in the recipe instead of a plain black mask and the result is the slayer helmet (i), which carries the Ranged and Magic bonus as well as the melee one.
Do you need a Slayer level to wear the Slayer helmet?
No. Wearing it only needs 10 Defence — there's no Slayer requirement to equip it. People mix this up with the making side, which needs 55 Crafting and the Malevolent masquerade unlock.
Does the Slayer helmet stack with the Salve amulet?
No — the black-mask / Slayer-helmet on-task bonus does not stack with the Salve amulet's undead bonus. On an undead monster that's also your task, the game uses whichever of the two is higher, not both.
What single-use Slayer items does the Slayer helmet replace?
It carries the effects of every part used to make it: the earmuffs (against banshees), the facemask (dust and smoke devils, and breathing in the Smoke Dungeon), the nose peg (aberrant spectres) and the spiny helmet (wall beasts) — so you no longer need to swap those items in and out.

Update history

15 Jan 2025Leagues V reward: the Slayer helmet can be used as warm clothing for the Wintertodt.
30 Aug 2023All Slayer helmet variants now correctly show as lost on death in the Items Kept on Death interface.
21 Jun 2023The helmet now prevents infection from a player infected by Nex's virus (choke) attack.
13 Sep 2018The Slayer helmet received a graphical update.
11 Feb 2016A "Check" option was added, letting players see their current Slayer task.
8 Oct 2015The creation message was corrected to reference the enchanted gem.
16 Jan 2014Store value increased from 1 to 40,000 coins.

Source: OSRS Wiki — Slayer helmet (Changes).